Moving to South Dakota as a home inspector: every state's rule

1. 1Pre-license course. Complete the required pre-license course. A Commission-approved pre-licensing course of at least 40 hours on the principles of home inspection, including South Dakota's home inspector statutes and rules. A classroom hour is at least 50 minutes of actual instruction, no more than eight hours may be taught in a day, each course ends with a final examination, and no certificate of attendance is issued to a student who misses more than 10 percent of the classroom hours. The course must be finished before you register for the state examination and within two years before your application, and the original education certification (Form 101) goes with the application. The Commission publishes a list of preapproved courses on its home inspector page; course prices are set by the schools. You may instead apply for credit for a similar course passed at a regionally accredited college, university or vocational school, or at a pre-licensing school in a state that mandates pre-licensing education, by sending an authenticated transcript and a course description..
2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. The South Dakota Home Inspector examination, delivered by PSI: the National Home Inspector Examination with South Dakota-specific questions added. It has 190 multiple-choice questions, about 90 percent on home inspection components and about 10 percent on South Dakota's home inspector statutes and rules, and the passing score set by rule is 75. A candidate who does not pass must wait 30 days before the next attempt. The original score report goes with your application, which must reach the Commission within 60 days of the exam report or the score is void..
3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($133). Examination registration fee, paid to PSI by credit card when you register. Each attempt is registered and paid for separately..
4. 4Application fee. Pay the application fee ($200). Non-refundable application fee for a home inspector registration or license, paid to the Commission by check or money order with the application. There is no separate issuance fee. The application form waives fees for an applicant whose spouse is an active member of the armed forces..
5. 5Background check. Complete a background check ($50). State and federal criminal background check by fingerprints through the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and the FBI, at your expense. Request fingerprint cards from the Commission and return them with the application and a separate $50 check payable to DCI. South Dakota residents may instead pay online at atg.sd.gov and be fingerprinted at a Livescan agency, but only after the Commission confirms it has received the application; fingerprints submitted earlier are destroyed and the payment is forfeited..
6. 6Other. The Home Inspector Experience Log, listing the date and address of at least 100 paid home inspections, filed with the Commission once you have held the registration for at least a year. The Commission publishes no fee for the upgrade to Licensed Home Inspector; ask the Commission at 605.773.3600 whether one applies..

Published fees on this path total $333, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.